Brotherhood is a Difficult Lesson
by sugarcrazedninja
Summary: Raph grew up knowing that his brothers will always be there for him. What happens when he thinks that they aren't? Will his reaction cost him something important? Read and find out. r&r please!now completed! X3
1. brother's forever

Me: yo what's up? I hope you enjoy my story! Warning, Raph is out of character quite a lot.

Disclaimer: I do not own the TMNT. If I did, that would be so cool!

Chapter 1

Brothers forever

Raph grew up knowing that his brothers would always be there when he needed them. When he was seven Leo saved him from a sewer gator. When he was five Mikey cheered him up when he broke his leg during training. When he was nine Donnie helped him battle during their first battle against the purple dragon gang. He could always count on them and they could always count on him if they needed a little muscle.

The ten year old turtle stood outside of his brother's room, wanting to talk to him about something important. He took a step forward and knocked on the cold metal door.

"You know you can come in any time Raphi." Leo said, always knowing Raph's knock, which is the same every time. Three loud knocks in the center of the door with a softer knock lower than the center. Raph peered in and smiled slightly at his brother, who was sitting on his bed reading a book. Leo looked up and motioned Raph to sit next to him. Raph did just that. Leo turned and looked over his brother. He was bruised on the arms and his eyes were red, as if something was irritating them.

"What's wrong Raphi?" Leo asked, realizing that something was upsetting his brother. Raph broke down and cried into Leo's shoulder.

"Th-there were p-purple dragons o-out side a-and th-they were right above our lair! They know w-we live here! They were planning on digging us out!" he sobbed. Leo patted his shoulder gently and Raph looked up at him.

"I tried to stop them but I think I was more like proof that we live here." He said, sitting back up. Leo looked over him again and saw something wrong with his right wrist. It was twisted in the wrong direction.

"Raphi, your wrist is hurt." Leo said, grabbing onto it and examining it.

"Yeah, they grabbed onto me and I tried to get out. Then that happened." He said, calming down finally.

"Maybe we should tell master splinter." Leo suggested. Raph nodded and together they left and found Splinter. After explaining the whole thing splinter thought of no better solution than to move. So he and his sons collected their things, which luckily they didn't have a lot of and they left. Soon they found a better spot that actually had more rooms so they could each have their own.

In their old home Donnie and Leo had to share a room and Mikey had to share a room with Raph. Now they were more comfortable with the bigger home. Raph grabbed the room next to Leo. After they unpacked Leo walked into Raph's room and sat next to him on the bed. Raph was sitting up but was practically asleep anyway.

"Hunh? Leo, wassup?" he asked drowsily.

"Just so you know, you can always count on me to be there for you." Leo said. Raph opened his eye slightly and looked at him in the corner of his eye.

"Just so ya know bro, it's the same with Me." he mumbled with a smile. Leo nodded and gave his brother a quick hug and went back to is own room.

Me: did ja like it? I sure hope so. Please review but no burns please! If I get even one I will update, but even if I don't get any I still will update.


	2. unhappy news

Me: tee hee!! Thank you for that review Michael J Angelo!! You're my first review so I will now give you a virtual hug. Tee hee. I hope you like this chapter too, but there is some sad stuff in here.

Raph: WHAT? What do you mean by sad stuff? Is it about me?

Me: I ain't telling. Yipe! (Runs away when Raph pulls out his sia and threatens to hurt me if I don't tell him.)

Me: just read to find out!!

Chapter 2

Unhappy news

They will be fifteen years old in a day. Their training ended early that day when Raph lost control of his temper and attacked Mikey full on, nearly breaking both of the orange clad ninja's legs. Raph locked himself in his room and wouldn't let anyone in, not even Leo, who he could confide in anytime. He didn't want to today. He just wanted to be alone.

"Raph, c'mon, your ok and so is Mikey, why don't you want to talk to me?" Leo called, knocking on the door. Raph ignored him and put a CD in his stereo system and turned the volume up loud enough to drown out Leo. Leo stared at the door and walked into his own room.

'Leo that moron. He doesn't understand me at all, no matter how much I talk to him.' Raph thought. He sat alone for a few moments and turned off his music. He stood up and left the room, he decided he wanted to talk to Leo after all, though he had no idea what about.

He looked in the doorway to Leo's room but it was empty. He heard Splinter talking to someone down the hall so he went to go see who. The people talking were around the corner so he stayed just close enough to hear and not be seen.

"But master Splinter, Raph will—!" Leo's voice said but was cut off by Splinter.

"Do not argue with me my son! You will do what I say! Now go pack your things and I will tell you more about your training mission when your done." Splinter ordered.

"Fine master. But where am I going?" Leo asked.

"You will be going to Japan to train with some of the finest ninja masters." Splinter said as he walked of in the other direction. Raph stayed on the spot and didn't even move when he heard them coming back his way.

Leo stopped when he saw Raph, who was glaring at him.

"Raph I…"

"You liar! You said you'd always be there for me, Remember? Now you're leaving without even giving it a second thought? YOU JERK!!!!!" Raph screamed. Leo stared at him, his face filled with sadness.

"Raph I tried but…"

"You didn't try at all! I heard you! You caved instantly! Little splinter jr. will do anything for his father, but doesn't even care if he leaves his brothers all alone!" Raph yelled, tears forming in his eyes.

"Raphael! Listen to me! You're so stupid sometimes that I can't even believe you're my brother!" Leo yelled out of anger. Before Leo could try to say anything else Raph stormed away and out of the lair. Raph stormed out. But before he did he screamed something to Leo.

"I HATE YOU LEO! I HATE YA!" and he left. He climbed out of the sewers and walked in the shadows to Central Park, cursing under his breath as he did.

He got into the park and noticed that it was a little too quiet for Central Park, even at night. He looked around and saw something he doesn't like to see that often, especially when he's that ticked off.

The foot clan was surrounding him. They attacked before he could even pull out his sias.

"Leonardo, are you packed?" splinter asked, walking up behind the ninja as he stared at the front door. He was waiting for Raph to get back, but that wasn't going to happen anytime soon.

"No, I haven't sensei. I need to talk to Raph, but he stormed off." Leo said, not looking at the rat. Leo felt Splinter's hand pat him on the shoulder and he forced himself to look at him.

"Raphael needs you right now. You're the only one he really talks to about things that are bothering him. I will not send you to Japan until he finally tells you what is bothering him. You may go look for him." Splinter said. Leo turned to him and gave him a bow, then left.

'Let's see, it's Monday night and he's in a bad mood. Probably went to go blow off some steam with Casey at central park.' He thought as he traveled through the sewers. He climbed out of a man hole and over to the park. It was too quiet. Leo grew more worried when he walked through the park. The search led nowhere but he didn't give up. He was sure that Raph would be there.

A large bush to his right rustled and caused him to dive into another bush as a way to hide. He heard a moan from the bush. He stood up and cautiously walked to the bush. The moan was louder the second time and he recognized the voice. He pushed the branches out of the way and nearly passed out at the site before him. Lying on the ground was Raph, though it was pretty hard to tell it was him, other than the part of him being a mutant turtle. His bandana was cut off and he had several large bruises on his head. But the worst part was the large sword sticking out of his shell. Raph moaned even louder when Leo tried to move him. Raph couldn't move or else it would cause him pain but he forced himself to slap Leo as hard as he could to tell Leo that that hurt him. Leo was panicking now. He had never seen his brother in this much pain before. He didn't want to hurt Raph anymore than he's already in but he had to get the sword out. He tried to pull it out gently but Raph screamed as he did. So Leo pulled it out quicker, in hope that it would make Raph more comfortable. Yet again Raph screamed, this time causing blood to drip from his open mouth and splatter on the already blood soaked grass. Leo panicked even more.

"R…Raph…no...RAPH!!" Leo screamed in fear. He rolled his brother onto his shell and propped his head up on his lap.

"L-Leo, you…" he started, but Leo stopped him from talking.

"Save your energy Raph. You'll get through this, I'll…I'll make sure of it." Leo whispered, trying to keep Raph as comfortable as he could. Raph's breath was weak and Leo grew more and more worried that he wasn't going to make it. He pulled out his shell cell and called Donnie. It rang over and over again and Leo cursed under his breath.

"Donnie pick up!" he screamed into the phone. Two more rings and Donnie picked up the phone.

"Yeah? Leo, you ok?" he asked.

"I'm fine, but Raph isn't." Leo said. Donnie could tell something was wrong when he heard Leo's voice shacking.

"Hang on, I'll track your signal and Mikey and I'll be there as soon as we can."

"Bring a stretcher." Leo said as he waited for Donnie to track them. Donnie hung up and Leo turned back to Raph as he moaned again. His eyes were barely open.

"Don't fall asleep Raphi." Leo said, rubbing his hand on Raph's cheek to let him know he was there. Raph stirred when he heard his old nickname.

"You h-haven't called…me that…for years…" Raph mumbled, half asleep. Leo smiled a little but when he realized Raph really was close to sleeping he shook his brother's head.

"Don't sleep Raphi, don't sleep!" Leo cried, tears spilling down his cheeks. Raph shook his head and closed his eyes.

"Can't…too tired…" he mumbled. His breathing slowed and Leo realized he was asleep. He tried to wake him but couldn't. He feared the worst.

"Leo! Raph! Where are you?" Donnie called. Leo couldn't move. He stared at his brother and let out a moan of sadness. Donnie and Mikey heard it and came over to them.

"Oh no…" Donnie mumbled.

'We might be too late, but I think if we hurry I could save him.' Donnie thought.

"c'mon, we should hurry and get him back to the lair." He said. Leo and Mikey nodded and helped him home.

Me: hope you like it. (Has big bump on top of head where Raph smacked me.)

Raph:…don't be such a woos, I didn't hit you that hard.

Me: ya hit me with the bottom of your sia!!

Raph: yeah, whatever.


	3. a fallen ninja

Me: yo, what's the haps? LOL. Thanks for the reviews. I told you there was going to be some sad stuff, but this one is probably more depressing. It does have some brotherly acts of kindness in it too.

Raph: not more bad stuff, haven't you done enough to me, but now you—!

Me: STOP!! You'll ruin this chapter if you keep talking! Anyway, hope ya like. )

Chapter 3

Fallen ninja

"Is Raph going to be ok?" Leo asked anxiously when Donnie walked into the living room. Donnie looked at him and shrugged.

"I don't know yet. He's sleeping right now and he seems ok. We'll just have to wait and see." He said. He sat next to Mikey on the couch and put his head in his hands. It was quiet in the lair.

"Man, you could find more cheer in a graveyard." Mikey joked. He received a slap to the back of his head from Leo and Donnie and a bonk on the top of his head from splinter's staff.

Leo stood up and went to his own room. He pulled out a box of his secret obsessions and opened it. He looked inside as he remembered that he was going to show Raph everything in there when they turned fifteen as a birthday gift for both of them to share. Inside the box were many things. He never wanted anyone to find out about these items because he was supposed to be the leader of his brothers. He wanted them to think he was only concerned with his ninja training, that he had no other things that he enjoyed.

Inside of the box was several sketchbooks filled with drawings that he has been drawing since he was five, a few journals and other short stories about him and his brothers adventures. He had a few CDs in there and a cookbook or two. He put the cover back on and walked over to his bed and sat down. He sobbed into his hands.

Outside of his room was Mikey. He was pressing his ear against the door. He was worried about his older brother. He stepped back and knocked on the door. Leo recognized the knock. He knows every one's specific knock. Mikey's was four fast and loud knocks near the door knob. Leo didn't say anything but Mikey came in any way, knowing that Leo would let him in. Leo jumped onto his feet, not wanting Mikey to see him like that.

"What's wrong Mikey?" he asked. Mikey didn't say anything at first; he just looked around the room.

"I just wanted to see if you were ok. I know Raph means a lot to you. We still don't know if he'll be ok, but I want to know if you will if he, you know, doesn't make it." Mikey said quietly. Leo stared at him for a minute and then looked away.

"Yeah, I'll be fine." He mumbled, unable to meet Mikey's eyes. Mikey nodded and went to his own room. Leo walked out of his room and began to walk down the hall when he heard something that made him stop. Inside of Raph's room was where the sound was coming. It sounded like a few moans and coughs mixed together. Leo opened the door a crack and peered in. Raph was lying in his bed, coughing. Leo walked in and Raph turned his head slightly. He looked at him with one eye open, the other was closed because any slight movement hurt and caused him to wince. Leo smiled and walked in farther.

"Raph, you ok?" Leo asked. Raph didn't answer. It looked as if he was in a trance.

"Raph…Raphi?" he asked in concern. Raph closed his eyes and smiled. Leo sat next to him on the bed and jumped slightly when Raph's bandaged up hand grabbed onto his arm. He squeezed it hard and Leo lifted his own hand and grabbed onto the bandaged one.

"Are you ok Raph?" Leo asked softly when Raph lowered his hand. Raph nodded and looked at him again.

"Happy birthday bro." he mumbled. Leo laughed a little and stood up.

"I'll let you sleep for a bit, and then I have something to show you." Leo said. Raph nodded but stopped Leo before he left the room.

"Hey bro, I'm sorry bout what I said earlier." He said. Leo looked back at him and smiled.

"It's ok Raph. Get some sleep." He said as he left. He walked into the living room and told Donnie that Raph was going to be ok. Donnie seemed relieved but he went to go run some tests on Raph just to double check that he was ok.

Leo sat and talked and laughed with his younger brother but when Donnie came in the mood level dropped in the room. He looked upset about something. Leo stood up and walked over to him, anxious for news.

"Donnie…?" Mikey asked.

"Well, he'll make a full recovery, but he can never be a ninja again." He said sadly. Mikey's jaw dropped and Leo fell to the floor. Splinter, who was also in the room let go of his staff and fell to the couch, then burst into tears.

"Master splinter…?" Donnie asked, walking over to their crying father.

"Leonardo, you do not have to go to Japan after all. Raphael is going to need you now more than ever." Splinter said, looking over at Leo. The blue clad ninja stared at Splinter and nodded. He knew that Raph is going to have a lot of emotional stress after he finds out about this.

"Yes master splinter." Leo mumbled. Leo then remembered something, got up, ran to his room, grabbed something and over to Raph's room. Raph looked over at him and then looked at the box in his hands. He raised an eyebrow when Leo opened it. He gazed in curiously and Leo pulled out a journal.

"These are all my secret obsessions. Here, I have journals and stories about all of us and some sketch books of stuff I've drawn since I was five. Take a look." Leo said, handing him a drawing pad. Raph looked surprised at Leo but was too curious not to look. On the first page was a portrait of their family. Each turtle had every detail sketched onto their faces; it looked almost like a real photo. Raph didn't say anything, he was too shocked. He flipped to the next page which was a sketch of all their first weapons. It was as if you could see the light reflecting on the swords and sias. Leo was amazing. Raph felt his jaw drop and heard Leo chuckle slightly.

"You can look through everything in here, but keep it a secret." Leo said with a wink. Raph nodded and continued through the books.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Raph:

Me: hope ya liked it!


	4. being brothers is harder than it looks

Me: hey Raph, why didn't you say anything last chapter?

Raph: don't really know. I guess I was too busy looking at Leo's stuff.

Me: ok then…anyway, thankies for the reviews!! Love y'all!

Disclaimer: I do not own the TMNT (sob, sob, sob) oh well.

Chapter 4

Acting like brothers is harder than it looks

It's been two years since Raph has recovered and Leo is starting to feel guilty about some things. He feels like he hasn't been spending enough time with Donnie and Mikey. He's been with Raph nearly every second of the day except when they train and when their asleep. He's seemed more concerned with Raph than anything else, even his focus during his training has been slipping.

Raph is able to stand up and walk on his own, but the large sword that was stabbed in his shell damaged his nervous system, so every time he tries to bust a ninja move, he collapses in so much pain that sometimes he can't even move for a few minutes. But on the better side, Leo and Raph are getting along better than ever.

"Hmm…Raph, what's wrong?" Leo asked when he heard his door open in the middle of the night. Raph walked in and sat on his bed.

"I don't know. I had the dream again." He said. Leo sat up.

"The one about that fight?" Leo asked. Raph nodded.

"Yeah, but it wasn't me. The one they fought was you, and you died." Raph said. He looked up when he felt Leo's hand grab his shoulder. Leo pulled up the blankets on his bed and Raph understood what he was doing. With a small smile Raph laid down next to him and before he knew it was fast asleep.

Donnie was walking back to his room from a midnight bathroom break and as he passed Leo's room he heard footsteps and the creaking of mattress springs. He poked his head in and saw Raph sleeping in the same bed as Leo. He figured it was because of a nightmare, only because when they were younger Leo would always sleep with them to make them feel better after a nightmare. Donnie glared at the sight and walked back to his room.

'He never lets us do that anymore. What makes Raph so special other than the fact that he can't be a ninja? Mikey and I are equally as good a brother as Raph.' He thought angrily.

-- -- -- --

The next morning Leo and Raph walked into the kitchen together and got some cereal. Mikey and Donnie came in later. Donnie had told him everything he saw and thought the night before. When they sat down an icy tension grew between the brothers as they ate. Raph got up and left as soon as he finished his breakfast, becoming uneasy about the stares he was getting from his brothers. Leo stared at his other brothers and when Raph left the room Donnie spoke up.

"What is it with you and Raph lately?" he asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Aren't we good enough for you anymore? You only spend your time with Raph. You know, he's not the only one who needs a big brother!" Donnie said, practically yelling at the older ninja. Leo stared at them with guilt spread across his face. Mikey didn't say anything, he just picked at his breakfast, avoiding looking at Leo.

"But Raph needs me now. You have no idea how he's feeling right now. He had to give up his dream of becoming a ninja, all because of an accident." Leo said.

"See Leo, your acting like it's your fault he can't be a ninja! You didn't do anything to make him leave and get hurt. So stop acting like it is!" Donnie argued. Leo glared at his brothers.

"You obviously were no where near us when he left. I had to leave, that's why he got mad at me. When we were ten I told him I'll always be there for him, and I broke that promise by telling splinter I'll leave. Raph got mad at me and I yelled at him. He left and you have no idea how guilty I felt when I found him hurt." Leo said, also practically screaming. Leo stormed out of the room and Donnie and Mikey stared after him in complete shock.

Just then Splinter walked in and noticed his youngest sons staring off into the hallway.

"My sons, what is the matter?" he asked. Donnie and Mikey snapped back to earth and they looked over at their father.

"Raph and Leo. Leo hardly notices us anymore, and Raph hasn't talked to us for almost a year. The only time we hear him is when he's talking with Leo." Donnie said, pouting a little. Mikey nodded in agreement.

What they didn't know was that Raph was listening in at the other side of the door. He stared off as he listened to his father speak.

"Raphael needs you brother. Leonardo is changing and will find that he needs you as much as you need him, he just doesn't realize that yet. Give him time." Their father said. Raph sighed yet still stayed rooted on the spot. He heard chairs move and footsteps heading to the door but he didn't care. He could feel a lump forming in his throat and tears forming but he didn't care. He just stood there.

Mikey and Donnie walked past and stopped for a moment and glanced at him. They saw the tears rolling down his cheeks but he still didn't seem to notice them.

"Raph…" Donnie mumbled barley loud enough for him to hear. Raph snapped his attention to them and ran. He ran to his room, not out of anger or fear or sadness. He just ran. He didn't care who saw him. But instead of running to his own room he ran to Leo's. Leo wasn't even in there. When Raph seeks comfort he goes into Leo's room and digs out his secret obsession box. Raph enjoys reading Leo's journals and stories. Raph has actually started to fill up his own secret obsession box, mostly filled with some of his own stories and journals.

He looked up from his position on the floor when he heard the door open. Leo stood there. He looked down at him and smiled. Leo walked over and sat next to his brother.

"What's up Raph?" he asked. Raph shrugged.

"I saw those stories you wrote Raph. They were pretty good. And your journal entry about the, um you know, incident and the description was really good. I never realized how talented you are at writing." He said, patting Raph's shoulder. Raph nodded and looked up at him. When he saw the smile on his older brother's face it lifted his mood a little. He smiled too and they went on with the readings.

-- -- -- -- -- --

Me: well, I hope ya liked it. Please give me more reviews. Michael J Angelo thanks for reviewing; I am glad that you all like this story. Sadly, I don't think I will be able to update very soon. I have a lot of ideas though, so I'll try to review as soon as I can.

Raph: yeah, wait to ya see what she does to me next.

Me: shut the heck up Raph, I never said anything bad is going to happen.


	5. making amends

Me: YAY! I guess you didn't have to wait that long for an update after all. I'm so glad it's spring break right now. I woke up in the middle of the night and I spent all morning typing this chapter. It might not be very good but it's got more of Mikey and Donnie in it. Hope ya like it.

Mikey: hey, did I hear my name?

Raph: what the…mike you bozo, what the shell are you doing here?!

Mikey: fine, I'll go. But I will be back!

Raph: is that a threat?

Me: break it up you two! (Smacks Raph on the back of head and rushes Mikey out before he gets hurt.) Anyway, please enjoy! X3

Chapter 5

Making amends

Training was going on that day, just the same as always. Leo wasn't paying much attention to what was going on and didn't notice Mikey flip over his and smacked him on the head with his nunchucks. Tension has been growing between all the brothers over the last few days. Leo has been more worried with Raph when he started to separate himself from every one.

Leo fell to the floor and rubbed the fresh bump on his head. Leo looked up when he heard the dojo door open. Raph walked in and went to the corner. He stood there and leaned against the wall with a small smile on his face.

"Raph, you shouldn't be in here. You know you can't train anymore." Leo said as he sat up. Raph ignored him and looked at Splinter.

"Master Splinta?" he asked. Splinter thought for a moment and then nodded.

"You may stay for a while." He said. Raph smiled, sat down and looked over at his brothers when they began training for a while. Raph couldn't help himself, he wanted to jump around and kick things so badly. He stood up and began to pace to try to shake off the feeling.

Before anyone knew it Raph began doing back flips. He didn't collapse in pain but he winced slightly. Leo tried to stop him but Raph ignored him yet again. Raph jumped into the air and did a few spinning kicks. He landed with a thud and let out a gasp of pain. Leo rushed over to him and tried to get him to stop. Raph pushed him away and did some more flips mixed with a kart weal and some kicks and punches. Every one stared at him in disbelief.

Once more Raph landed with a thud and the collapsed on the floor with a loud moan.

"Raph!" Leo said, running over to him. Raph shoved him away before he could get close enough to help him.

"Just leave me alone Leo. I can handle this myself." Raph mumbled, standing up as best he could. He walked over to the door where Donnie and Mikey were standing and before he left he stared at them for a moment.

"'sup guys. Sorry 'bout not talking to ya in a while." He said. Before they could answer Raph walked out, well, more like stumbled out the door. Donnie and Mikey stared after him, and then looked at each other.

"Training is done for the day." Splinter said with a small smile as he walked out the door. Leo sat down and immediately began to meditate. Mikey walked out on his own and went to the television set to play some video games. He sat down and turned on the set when he heard someone walking up behind him. He figured it was Donnie leaving to go invent something. He was wrong. Before he knew it Raph jumped over the back of the couch and landed next to him.

"'sup Mikey? Mind if I play too?" he asked, giving him a small noogie. Mikey looked at him and smiled.

"Sure, grab a controller." He said. Raph grabbed one as Mikey put a game in. Raph sat back down and the game started.

"Which game is this?" Raph asked when they picked their characters.

"I don't really know, I just found it a few weeks ago. It's called Naruto: Clash of Ninja 2. (a/n, one of my favorite video games! lol!) It's actually pretty fun." Mikey said. Raph nodded and they went on playing.

"Wow Raph, you're pretty good." Mikey said as he jerked the controller to the right, as if that would get his character to go in that direction. Raph smirked a little.

"Yeah well, it's kinda weird, seeing as I've never played this before." He said as he relentlessly pressed on the buttons.

"_Winner: Gaara!_" the game called out. Raph smirked again and Mikey looked at him. He didn't think Raph would actually be able to beet him. Mikey is, after all, the game master.

"You _have _played this before!" Mikey said after realizing it. Raph smiled and laughed a little.

"Yeah, was it that obvious?" Raph chuckled. Mikey thought for a moment.

"Actually, it was." Mikey admitted. "Anyways, thanks dude. We haven't really done much together lately."

"Anytime bro." Raph said, patting Mikey's shoulder as he stood up.

Next on Raph's schedule was to go see if he could help Donnie with anything. Ever since he heard the conversations in the kitchen a few days ago he has been trying to fix the problem he was causing.

"Hey bro, need any help?" Raph asked after poking his head in Donnie's doorway. The purple clad ninja jumped in surprise and looked over at him, a vial of purple goop was in his hand.

"Uhhh…sure. Why not?" Donnie shrugged. Raph walked in and stood next to him.

"What cha making?" Raph asked.

"That's a surprise. Hmm…could you hand me the calcium stearate and the carnauba wax?" Donnie asked when he started to mix the goop with some powder. Raph nodded and looked around. He was lost.

"Uuuhmmm…..Donnie…?" Raph asked, looking back at him. Donnie sighed and pointed to the wall opposite them.

"Oh, ok. Um, not to criticize science or anything, but wouldn't it make it easier to say the green and red one?" Raph asked as he went to grab it. Donnie smiled a little and smacked himself on the forehead.

"Your right Raph, I should have realized that." Donnie said sarcastically. Raph handed him the vials and smirked.

"Very funny Don." He said to his younger brother. Don laughed and Raph sighed happily, leaning against the desk.

"Hey, how are you feeling anyway? I mean, it has been a few years." Donnie asked as he began mixing everything together.

"I feel fine actually. When I was practicing back there, it actually didn't hurt very much. But then again, it might have been a one time thing." Raph shrugged.

"Need anymore help?" Raph asked.

"Um…no, I'm good for now." He said. Raph nodded and left the room.

"Thanks for the help!" Donnie called as Raph walked down the hallway. Raph smiled to himself and went back to the dojo. Leo was still in there. He was still meditating.

Raph walked over and sat down. He just sat there and stared at his brother. He would have thought Leo was asleep if he never really watched him before. He knew better. Raph's eyes began to wander around the room. He remembered when he was eight he was grounded and for his punishment he had to meditate for two hours (which he hated so much!). Instead of meditating he just counted all the bricks on one wall. There was around two thousand.

Raph looked around at all the practice dummies and he listened to the steady, rhythmic sound of Leo's breathing. Raph sighed happily and Leo stirred when he heard it. Leo opened one eye to peek at who was in there with him.

"What is it Raph?" Leo asked, closing his eyes again.

"nothin'. Just to let ya know, I was in a bad mood earlier, if you couldn't tell." Raph said.

"Yeah, actually I could. But thanks for telling me." Leo sighed. Raph nodded. Leo went back to meditating and Raph (surprisingly) joined him.

'Things seem to be getting better.' Leo thought with a small smile.

-- - -- - -- - -- -

Me: did ja like it? Hope so.

Raph: ok, maybe I was wrong, you didn't hurt me. Maybe next chapter. (Gets whacked on back of head as hard as I possibly can manage.)

Me: stop making people think I'm gonna hurt you. Why are you so obsessed with thinking I'm probably going to kill you in the next chapter? I never said I was going to so stop it!!!

Raph: well, I nearly died in the second chapter.

Me: just shut up. You didn't though, did you?

Raph: well, no.

Me: there you go then, so give it a rest. Please review!


	6. battles on the rooftops

Me: ha ha ha! A second update in one day! Yahoo, I'm on a roll! Warning, this chapter is a very serious one. But still hope you like it.

Raph: I don't even want to know, I'm still sore from the last few chapters.

Me: yeah, yeah. By the way, thanks for all the reviews!

Chapter 6

Battles on the roof

The brothers were up on the roof tops that night. They let Raph tag along because he hasn't been out and about in so long. He brought his sias for no real reason, just to feel protected. Raph missed playing ninja tag with the others.

"So, how's it goin' Leo?" Raph asked when he finally caught up with him. Leo turned his attention to Raph and stumbled over a heating vent and fell flat on his face. Raph laughed a little and went back to make sure Leo didn't fall off the building.

"C'mon bro, Don and Mikey are beating us." Raph said, grabbing onto Leo's hand and pulling him up.

"You're sure in a good mood tonight." Leo said when they started running again. Raph jumped to the next roof top and looked back at Leo.

"Well, I feel great today." Raph admitted. The crossed over the finish line and saw that Mike and Don were already there.

"Nice of you to join us guys." Donnie said.

"Yes dudes and dudetts, major league butt kicking is back in town!" Mikey laughed. Raph walked over and slapped Mikey playfully on the back of the head. The all turned around and started to head home when they heard a rustling sound on a roof top a few apartments down. Raph spun around when he recognized that sound. He was right. Foot clan members were beginning to surround them.

"Stinkin' foot ninja!" Raph growled, pulling out his sias. Before Raph could lunge at even one of them, Leo jumped in front of him and held him back.

"Raph, you can't fight! Let us handle this one." Leo said, pulling out his swords. Raph growled and let them fight for him.

Leo jumped into the air and he sliced at any ninja who came his way. Donnie spun around close to the ground, swiping the ninja's feet and knocking them to the ground. Leo was hitting high and Donnie was hitting low, which means that Mikey was hitting anywhere he could reach. They were all to busy to notice that there was a foot ninja sneaking up behind Raph. In his gloved hand was a katana. He raised it above his head and no one still noticed.

Before any one knew it the rooftops were filled with an ear curdling scream. The fighting turtles looked back and saw Raph fall to the ground.

- - - - - - - -

Me: I warned you. I know it's really short and ends with a cliff hanger, but it was good none the less. In my opinion anyway. I'll update as soon as I can.


	7. all better?

Me: did you seriously think I'd leave you hanging on a thread? Here is the out come and the final chapter. I'm glad that so many people liked this story.

_This is Donnie's thoughts_

This is Mikey's thoughts

_This is Leo's thoughts_

Chapter 7

All better?

"Raph!!" the brothers screamed together. Raph rolled away just in time to avoid the ninja from landing on top of him, the sword stuck in his own gut. Raph jumped up.

"Ha! Thought he got me did ja?" he laughed as he pulled out his sias. He spun around and kicks a ninja and Leo saw that the sword scratched his shell, right over the hole/scar from his last meeting with the foot. Apparently Raph jumped out of the way before the katana impaled him. Now that Leo thought about it, that scream didn't even sound like Raph. Raph gasped in pain as he slammed on top of another ninja. Leo focused his attention back to the ninja that was attacking him.

Before long all the ninja were defeated and they ran away, closer to their own home. Raph ran as fast as he could, which caused him even more pain than he was already in. he was forced to fight just to protect himself, but he didn't mind. He missed kicking butt.

They all jumped from roof top to roof top as they traveled but Raph's eyes began to fog up with pain. He jumped off the roof to early and fell to the concrete ground. He landed with a loud thud and the others skidded to a halt.

"Raph!" Leo screamed, running back to the edge. He jumped down and ran over to the unconscious brother. Donnie jumped down next to him and checked if Raph was ok.

"Turn him over." Donnie ordered as he pulled something out of his belt. Leo rolled Raph onto his plastron and watched as Donnie opened the small vial in his hands. In the vial was a very runny brown liquid.

"Uh, Donnie, what is that stuff?" Leo asked nervously.

"Watch and observe." Donnie said with a small smile. He poured the liquid into the hole where he got the sword stuck those few years ago. The liquid absorbed into the scar and nothing happened. Just then Raph stirred and Donnie looked pleased with himself.

"Whahapn?" Raph mumbled. (If you can't tell what he said, it was what happened.)

"It worked. I made this earlier today. It's a medicine for Raph so he could do a little more than sit around all day. The stuff I just put in him now was the first part. It stabled his nervous system a little now and I just have to make more of the second part for him to take every day and he can train with us once in a while." Donnie explained. Leo stared at him in bewilderment.

"No thanks are necessary." Donnie said in a pleased tone. Leo smiled and looked down at his other brother.

"Yo, what's going on? Is Raph gonna be ok?" Mikey asked when he landed next to them.

"Yeah Mike, I'm fine." Raph mumbled barley loud enough for any of them to hear. They all smiled and helped Raph up and back to the lair. When they got in there Leo brought Raph to his room and Donnie went to his lab to work on the medicine.

'_Raph, you're stronger than any of us thought. You could have died many times since that incident. I've caught you loads of times trying to train. You never gave up, have you? That's why you're one of my role model's._' Donnie thought as he worked.

'Dude, you'll be fine. You're my big bro and I know you won't leave any of us alone. You promised it years ago.' Mikey thought with a smile as he relaxed on his bed and pulled out his comic books.

'_Raph, you're my brother and I'll never stop loving you. You never let me down and I will be there for you when ever you call. Just remember that day seven years ago and remember that I will always keep my promise._' Leo thought as he took one final glance at Raph as he left the room. He could have sworn he saw a smile spread on his brother's face as he slept, and he wondered what he was dreaming of.

'Guys, you knew you could count on me.' Raph thought when he heard the door close. He sat up and crawled silently to the floor. He dug around under his bed and pulled out a small box that was filled to the brim with loose leaf paper and a few journals that were completely filled. This was his real secret obsession box, not the one he had shown Leo. This one he was waiting to show him if anything really bad happened.

Raph pulled out a piece of paper and a pen and began to scribble something down. He turned the paper to the back and continued to write. Once he was done he put it back in the box and shoved the box back under the bed. He crawled back on his bed.

The paper he just wrote on was sticking out of his bed slightly, well at least the corner was. The only thing that was readable was the title. It read My Brothers Forever. Raph smiled one more time and pushed the paper farther under his bed and fell asleep.

--------------

Me: I'm happy that you liked the story and I'm happy that I finished it, but I'm sad that it's over at the same time. (Sob, sob)

Raph: argh, don't cry, ya woos.

Me: yeah, I know. But I'm not crying just because I'm sad. I'm also crying because I get to start the sequel soon! Yahoo!

Raph: there's a sequel?

Me: yeah. It's gonna be called: loss is another hard lesson.

Raph: I don't like the sound of this.

Me: suck it up. Anyways, please look for my sequel and keep reviewing! Tee hee! ;)

Raph: some one help me. This girl really freaks me out sometimes.

Me: SHUT UP RAPHI! It's just because I'm always hyper, you like it and you know it.

Raph: yeah, with a name like sugarcrazedninja, it was really hard to tell you're never hyper.


End file.
